


Can't go on without you

by lovingiseasy



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Flirting, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:08:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26319202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovingiseasy/pseuds/lovingiseasy
Summary: Raquel Murillo, journalist, has always had disastrous luck when it comes to her love life. As a new year starts, she vows to regain grip on her life.Little did she know what an exceptionally bad start she would experience as she comes face to face with a ghost of her childhood named Sergio Marquina. In addition, he is the most extremely unpleasant and socially inept man she has encountered in a long time.AU inspired by the Bridget Jones' diaries
Relationships: Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 45
Kudos: 91





	1. New resolutions

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I'm kind of giving this a try. This is my first fic so be indulgent please :)
> 
> I was inspired to write a story by all the work I read on this platform. I hope you'll enjoy it.
> 
> The story is overall fairly inspired by the Bridget Jones' series, which, as you might know, was inspired by Pride and Prejudice, probably my favourite novel.
> 
> Anyway, let me know if you enjoy this story and don't hesitate to comment and give some feedback.

Raquel had never in her life given much thought to New year’s resolutions. She believed they were just pretty words that people used in order to make themselves feel better after the end of the year’s decadence. And so, they desperately find few things to look forward to in view of what would probably be another monotonous and normal year. Eventually, in most cases, the motivation wears off, revealing the meaninglessness of the ideas in the first place. Raquel respected that tradition, but truly found it somehow pathetic.

However, this year, she decided to give it a try for a reason she couldn’t identify. But it was probably within the lines of proper desperation. After much persuasion from her friends and family, one night, she finally wrote them down seriously on a piece of paper. She had to admit she even found the process amusing, as cliché as it was.

Her resolutions were the followings:

\- Stop smoking

\- Reduce my drinking habit (must remember I am not 20 anymore)

\- Clean the apartment (it’s a pure mess and cannot afford a cleaning lady)

\- Thrive at work and get promoted

\- Start saving money (we never know)

\- Know own worth

\- Give back to society (?)

\- Finally make use of that (ridiculously expensive) gym subscription

\- Have a functional and healthy relationship with a responsible adult (…)

God. Who in the hell was she kidding? That list would probably get lost in the said mess of her apartment. Nevertheless, she told herself she was really going to give it a go, although it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. Especially for the last one, as she knew very well of how that worked out for her over the years. She stared at the list for a long time. Might have been a minute, an hour, she didn’t really know nor really cared. Raquel was wondering what the hell she was supposed to do next. So, she waited for something, anything…

When she finally realised that the clock had struck 3 a.m., that it was already Monday and she was supposed to come into work in approximatively 6 hours, she put her plan in motion. That meant sticking that list up on the fridge, much contradictorily downing the rest of her drink, brush her teeth and go to bed.

And she did.

Proudly tucked under the covers of her big cold bed, she drifted off to sleep, mysteriously feeling better already. She marvelled at how she might have been wrong about New Year’s resolutions all along.

It was enough she thought. _Yes_.

_It would be enough for now._

* * *

Like she has been doing almost every Monday morning for the past 3 years of her life, Raquel got up, took a quick shower, got dressed, skipped breakfast and hopped on a bus in direction of her workplace. She knew Madrid’s rapidly passing scenery by heart by now and found some certain comfort in that. Raquel liked how her life had turned out in spite of everything that happened to her. She had a nice job that she was passionate about, a family that would back her up at any time and amazing friends that made her forget the darkest days of her life. And for that she was truly and utterly grateful for.

The only thing was just that every now and then, at the most random moments, like this one as she was currently sitting on the bus, she got that same feeling. The feeling that something is lacking. And as every other moment, she tried not to dwell on it, pushing and locking it away in a corner of her mind hoping to contain it for as long as she can.

It is with newfound motivation, thanks to that list, that she entered the building she likes to call her second home as she spends most of her time and sweat in it: the headquarters of Hola España!, the television network that she works for. When she returned to Madrid a little over three years ago, Raquel wasn’t at the best place mentally and that job became her life buoy, a second chance at life. She threw herself into work and it almost turned into an unhealthy obsession. Fortunately for her, she met people, good intentioned and generous people that reached out to her. She decided to grasp those hands and accepted to get out of the hole she was digging herself. Monica, one of her very few female colleagues as the media industry was unscrupulously and mainly led by men, was one of those people. With each day their complicity grew, and she slowly felt like she could finally breathe again.

This place was her box ring, the mountain she had to climb at a tortuously slow pace in order to get at the top. When she would get there, she knows none of what she has been through will define her anymore. Until then, she would play by their rules, endure and be the good little employee. This was temporary.

Raquel took a defining breath before entering the glass door, scanning her badge and taking the elevator. She got out of the elevator as the doors revealed the open space and the familiar face that was already deep into work. Raquel subconsciously smiled and walked in direction of her desk that was located right in front of her friend’s.

“You’re late.” said a small and not at all accusatory voice behind the screen of her computer as Raquel approached.

“It’s five past nine, what are you talking about?” said Raquel amusedly.

Monica’s head popped up from her screen and looked at Raquel pointedly, “Exactly my point.” And chuckled lightly, earning a playful eyeroll from Raquel. “How was your weekend?” Monica went on.

“Usual, yours?” Raquel inquired. “Pretty fine, although it passed so quickly I almost didn’t have the time to let out a breath.”

“Yeah, so usual?” Raquel retorted, letting out a laugh.

“Usual.” Confirmed Monica.

And they fell in a comfortable silence as the both of them dove into their work.

* * *

The rest of the day went by without anything out of the ordinary. Not even the stares Raquel received solely because was wearing a skirt surprised her anymore. She had learned how to deal with those a long time ago. Usually a small “Can I interest you in a quick picture maybe?” was all it took from her part for them to eventually take a note to mind their own business. Raquel knew it was a men’s world, but she wouldn’t let that affect her for a second. Not after _everything_ …

When she got back to her apartment, she noticed that she had a missed call and a message from her mother. She slumped down on her couch, brought the phone to her ear and listened patiently.

“Hola mi hija, I tried calling you but you’re probably busy. I have something to tell you. Call me back when you get this.” Said the recorded message. Raquel felt a small pang of guilt as for the hundredth time she realised how much her work was still taking on her life. Her mother wasn’t getting any younger and she knew that their relationship was precious especially after her father passed away two years ago.

And so, she called her mother wondering if something was wrong.

Her mother picked up after a few rings. “Raquel?” said her mother’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Hola mamá, como estas?” Raquel smiled through the phone happy to talk with her mother. Unfortunately, it was rare these days.

“Bien, Bien. To what do I owe this pleasure? Why are you calling me?” sincerely asked her mother.

Raquel frowned, slightly confused, “It was you who called me, you had something to tell me, remember?”

There was a small pause. “Ah si, si! Claro!” her mother laughed, “You know memory and age don’t go well together, right?”.

Raquel let out a small forced laugh. “Right.” She did not need her mother starting to forget things, much less people, but Raquel pushed the thought away in the same fashion she seemed to adopt all the time.

“Bueno, I was just calling to tell you to clear your weekend.” Her mother interrupted her train of thought. “Why?” Raquel curiously asked. “Andrés got engaged, isn’t that wonderful? He is throwing an engagement party at his house here in Toledo with his fiancé…Martin, I think it was. He is a really nice man and very handso-”

Raquel tried to process the information. “Andrés?” she halted her mother’s rant.

_Well, there was a name she hadn’t heard in a while._

“Yes! Andrés. You remember him sweetie? Artist, very talented, good looking? Lived practically next door with his little brother Sergio Marquina. Their parents had an immense house as well an immense fortune. Tragic what happened to them… they were so kind and terribly young.”

Raquel was hit by a small wave of nostalgia. She vaguely remembered bits of memories she occasionally shared with the brothers from her early childhood, as well a few small encounters over the past few years. She recalled having gone to their house on rare occasions and meeting their parents through her own. She also recalled their funeral after that horrible accident and after that she never properly spent time with them no more.

“Yeah, I remember him vaguely, but what does that anything to do with me? I barely know Andrés…” Raquel finally spoke.

“Oh, but he remembers you! When he moved back to Toledo with his now fiancé, he reached out to me again after all these years. We did some catching up and I can assure you he clearly remembers you.” Her mother assured her. “Anyway, so now he’s engaged and wants to celebrate. He has invited some friends; neighbours and he’s told me he would be really happy if you came.”

“Uhm… I’m not sure mamá, I haven’t seen him in a long time, I might not be the ideal guest…” Raquel hesitated, she wasn’t going to spoil her weekend to be put in an awkward situation in a house full of strangers. “I don’t really know anyone.”

“Nonsense!” her mother stopped her. “First of all, you know me,” Raquel rolled her eyes at that and was thankful her mother didn’t witness it, otherwise she would have scolded her regardless of her age, as her mother hates that kind of attitude. “Second of all,” continued her mother, “you know Sergio.”

Raquel frowned. “Mamá what are you talking about? Just because I went to his house once when I was 5 or something, doesn’t mean I know him. From what I gather, he grew up to become a serious nerd.” It was true that Raquel knew him or preferably was acquainted to him, but they never once were friends. Unfortunately, in the small community of their neighborhood, if two kids were approximatively the same age, people automatically labelled them as friends. And her and Sergio were _astronomically_ far from friends.

“A seriously rich, clever and divorced nerd!” her mother conspiringly intervened. She went on, “ _and_ _single_ …” she added suggestively. Raquel rolled her eyes yet again. _Here we go again,_ she thought. What was it with mothers and the need to have grandchildren. Is it such a necessity that they feel as if they must push their daughters into the arms of some remotely respectable man?

It’s not that Raquel doesn’t want to find Mr. Right, settle down and start a family and have children of her own. But if there is one thing Raquel doesn’t like, it is being told what or _who_ to do.

“Mamá-“

“I’m just saying” her mother feigned innocence. “Please, just come hija. Even if only for me, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Even your sister is coming. I know you are a serious and busy woman, but you have to relax and come see me a little more often, don’t you think?” Her mother supplied, guilt tripping her.

Raquel sighed. She _did_ feel guilty to tell the truth, and she it wasn't like she anything planned apart from staying in all weekend.

She pondered the two options for an instant until she finally gave in.

For her mom. And probably the free food and especially the free drinks.

“Alright, when is it?”


	2. An exceptionally bad start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raquel attends Martín and Andrés' engagement party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, this update came pretty quickly and is longer than the first chapter was. I thought about cutting the chapter in two halves, but figured you would have like to see Sergio in this one. 
> 
> So here we go, and please, do not kill me yet.

Raquel was in the middle of finishing packing a small bag for the trip, as she would be staying overnight at her mother’s house, when she distinctly heard a car horn from outside of her apartment’s window. She rushed in direction of that latter to get the confirmation that it was indeed Mónica’s way of telling her she had arrived, and that Raquel should hurry up as the former was keeping the engine running in front of the small apartment block.

Mónica had gladly accepted Raquel’s invitation to the party, that was in fact, her mother’s invitation, which was really, and ultimately, Andrés’. Indeed, Raquel’s mother had assured her that Andrés had informed her it was okay if she brought a friend. Raquel eventually got confirmation when she contacted Andrés to thank him for the invite as it was the polite thing to do.

The messages were concise, yet warm, and she really got the feeling that Andrés, as mature and well educated as he had already been during her childhood, grew into an interesting and admirable man. Truth be told, she was now looking forward to meet him and the man he chose to spend the rest of his life with. And she had no real doubt of liking that man either.

Andrés was now a painter and lived very comfortably thanks to his talent and his parent’s fortune. After her mother’s call, Raquel couldn’t resist looking up his work on the internet and found herself really impressed by the way in which he chose to capture the world. There was no question as to why art galleries were battling each other to display his work. Andrés was still relatively young for a painter and his fresh views and intakes were intriguing and attractive.

Once Raquel made sure that she hadn’t forgotten anything and locked the door, she rapidly marched down the one flight of stairs that separated the first floor, where she lived, and the ground floor. With difficulty, she opened the lobby's door and stepped onto the street, where the cold air of a Saturday morning in January greeted her. She waved at Mónica as she made her way to the car. She placed her bag in the trunk and slipped in the front passenger’s seat. Raquel sighed as she felt the warm air on her face. When she turned her head towards the driver, she found Mónica staring at her pointedly. Raquel raised her brows as sole inquiry waiting for whatever Mónica was supposed to say.

“You’re late.” Finally said Monica.

Raquel rolled her eyes and they both shared a sheer laugh. “Alright, Alright, force of habit. I’m usually hibernating on the weekend so be glad I am only a few minutes late!” Raquel said playfully, wishing that she was entirely joking. “Come on, let’s go driver!”

“Vamos!” exclaimed Mónica while putting the car into gear. “I can’t wait to see your mom again, I love her. She’s really fond of me too, you know why?” Raquel shook her head and Mónica went on, “Her and I share the same values when it comes to you!” Mónica said in an exaggerated whisper before she exploded in laughter. Raquel eventually joined her.

And that is how the weekend started, optimistically and in a good mood.

* * *

The trip was very brief, and they arrived in less than an hour. Raquel served as the DJ rather than co-pilot, although, Mónica didn’t complain for a second because she was happy to see Raquel enjoying herself. Plus, she had to admit that she liked than Van Morrison guy. The friends laughed and talked about everything and anything.

“And Agatá made me pretend that I there had been an emergency and that she had to come and see me this instant. She put me on speaker and everything!” told Raquel before they both laughed loudly.

Mónica laughed, “Oh my god, she made you do it too?

"I swear that girl is my idol, she has no shame whatsoever. That must be so freeing.”

“Yeah, I love her. She is so headstrong." said Mónica, "It’s a bummer she doesn’t work in the same department, though.”

“True.” Raquel agreed, an Mónica went on, “But it’s not like we don’t see her on daily basis at lunch or when we go out. I’m glad she’s our friend now. Although, she was a bit intimidating at first.”

Agatá Jimenez had been one of their best friends for about a year now. She arrived at the network over a year ago but worked in the technical department, which was why it had taken a while for Raquel and Mónica to befriend her. Not to mention that she appeared really tough on the outside and she was a remarkable woman. However, that did not stop Raquel and Mónica from getting to know one of the rare women that happened to work with them. They all had to stick together. And so, that was why, little by little, they became more comfortable around each other until the point that they became great friends and the three of them spent most of their spare time outside of the office together.

“That I can’t deny, but you and I both know she’s a real softie inside.” Raquel said sincerely and Mónica earnestly nodded. “Do not tell her I said that, though. I wouldn’t hear the end of it” she added comically.

“My mouth is sealed.” Assured Mónica conspiringly.

As if the illustrate that the conversation was indeed over, they took the last turn and found themselves in the street in which Raquel grew up. Raquel smiled softly in reminiscence of her childhood. She truly loved this place she called her home. It was filled with happiness and memories of which she was fond of. Everything about this street made her nostalgic. She had a very distinct memory of her father teaching her how to ride a bike in this very street. It was in those moments that Raquel missed him the most. He had was an honourable and amiable man who knew how to take care of his family. Raquel was proud to call herself his daughter.

Raquel was so lost in the sea of memories that the place provided, that she barely registered the car coming to a stop in front of her old house.

Mariví was already patiently waiting for them in front of the house with a big smile to bid them welcome. They both got out of the car with their stuff and warmly embraced Raquel’s mother. They exchanged friendly words and smiles before entering and settling in the house.

* * *

The time of the party was approaching and Mónica and Raquel were adding the final touches to their outfits. Raquel didn’t give too much thought in her appearance as she could care less of what her old neighbours would think of her. That did not mean that she didn’t look good, because _she_ _did_. It was more of an overall mindset.

Mariví had spent most of the afternoon in presence of the girls, just catching up and hearing more about Mónica’s life and interests. It was true that her mother liked Mónica, and she was happy to know that her daughter was in good hands when she was in Madrid.

Weirdly enough, her mother had also spent an awful lot of time praising Andrés, and more specifically his brother Sergio. Raquel felt like she knew where this was going. She especially didn’t want to be put through another disastrous match-up orchestrated by her mother. It was always almost as if her mother didn’t know anything about her or her taste in men. Each possible candidate she presented Raquel to, were either too old, too young, not very bright or _not at all_ her type.

This was why as they were walking towards the house, Raquel holding a bottle of wine, she earned another comment about Sergio Marquina’s greatness of character. She was really starting to get fed up with it.

“Mamá, please don’t bother. I am focusing on myself these days,” she casually lied. “and I don’t need you or anyone to set me up with some boring divorcee just because you think I’m desperate.”

Mónica shot Raquel a knowing look as if to say _Focusing on yourself? You sure about that?_

Raquel looked at her in a way that silenced Mónica’s quiet intervention.

“Mr.Marquina is not boring. He is extremely intelligent and _very_ handsome. He has a PhD in electrical engineering, you know?” Mariví retorted.

Raquel supressed a laugh.

_What. A. Nerd._

“But you are an adult capable of making your own decisions. I was merely suggesting.”

Raquel rolled her eyes, “Mamá, you and I both know you never _merely_ suggest”

“Maybe, but that is not a reason to roll your eyes at me young lady, you know fully well I don’t like that behaviour” scolded Mariví. It was perfectly clear that Mariví was still her mother and therefore, the dynamic of their relationship remained unchanged.

Raquel would have moved her eyes upwards again if she hadn’t been called out on it seconds ago. She glanced at Mónica who discretely cracked a small smile at that, visibly amused to see her grown up friend being treated like a child.

They soon reached their destination and spotted Laura already waiting for them. Raquel rapidly introduced Mónica to her sister as they approached the large French doors that led inside the house.

Andrés’ house which used to belong to his parents, stood proudly in front of the three women. The house was immense to say the least, probably one of the biggest in town and not to mention the beautiful gardens that added to its magnificent allure. A few cars were parked in front of the house, indicating that some guest came from out of town, probably Martín’s family.

Raquel didn’t know why but she was a bit anxious, which was odd considering it was a very foreign concept for her as she was a fairly confident woman in life. It was a peculiar feeling that probably came from the fact that she was going to encounter faces from a very distant past. So many things had happened to her since then and she was a very different woman. She wondered if people knew. The journalist had a weird presentiment about that party, but she let it go as she entered the house and came face to face with Andrés and his fiancé who were welcoming each guest.

Raquel recognised him from the picture she saw on the internet whilst doing her research. Her mother was right, he could definitely be qualified as a refined and handsome gentleman. The last time she saw him was when she was just a girl, and he, an intimidating young man. Andrés was an admirable man, everyone knew that.

The brothers’ parents died in a tragic car accident when she was maybe 8 years old. As he was already a very young adult at the time, Andrés was put in charge of everything. He took care of the household, finances, and inevitably, his younger brother. Andrés dropped out of university and was forced to grow up prematurely in order to bear those responsibilities. Although Raquel knew, that he didn’t regret it for a second.

From that point on, Raquel had lost touch with them. But she had never been that close to them in the first place for it to bother her. Those were the darkest days of the brothers’ lives and she figured that now they both led good ones. 

Martin and Andrés were just finishing welcoming a couple that had come in minutes ago when the latter spotted the group on the threshold. Andrés’ face lit up and he took a few strides in their direction.

“My dear Mariví!” He warmly exclaimed. “I am so glad you could join us!” he continued grinning and laughing heartily while pulling Raquel’s mother in for a welcoming embrace.

“Andrés, it is so good to see you again. The neighbourhood was exceptionally boring in your absence. How was your exposition in Barcelona?” happily said Mariví whilst hugging Andrés.

“Oh, you know, nothing compared to a Sunday afternoon in your company!” he answered, releasing her. 

Mariví chuckled at that. “Pfff, stop flattering me for a second, will you?” she said while making a dismissive hand gesture and turning in Laura’s direction. “You remember my youngest daughter, Laura?”

“Claro, Claro! Good to see you again Laura.” He politely said while taking her hand in his, bringing it to his mouth and leaving a small peck in a gentlemanly manner.

Laura greeted the man she probably had no recognition of, and her mother continued the introductions. “And of course, you remember Raquel?” she inquired already knowing the answer.

Andrés turned to her and proceeded in greeting her the same way. However, there was something in his eyes that Raquel could not quite name- a mischievous, conspiring look- as he responded and looked into her eyes intently.

“How could I not?” he smoothly said. She offered him the bottle of wine as a polite gesture and as she expected, received the famous and inevitable, “Oh, thank you! You really shouldn’t have.”

Mónica introduced herself, but Raquel stood a little confused about what the hell just happened. She couldn’t help but glance at her mother briefly and she was surprised to find her wearing the exact same look. What had those two been conspiring about? She quickly shrugged it off as Andrés took a few steps back to interlock his arm with the one she had assumed belonged to his soon-to-be husband, Martín. The two men exchanged a loving look before Andrés spoke again.

“Ladies, meet my wonderful and loving fiancé, Martín Berrote.” Said Andrés without taking his eyes off of his lover. It was clear to everyone present in this house that the two of them were deeply in love and brought out the best in each other.

“Nice to meet you all, and please, come in and make yourselves comfortable.” Martín spoke for the first time. “There is food and drinks, you should go enjoy yourselves and meet the other guests. Andrés will show you in as I believe you were the last ones. I have to run to the kitchen, but I will enjoy getting to know you all later.” He pleasantly said as he excused himself.

When they all of them had shrugged off and hung their coats. Andrés led the way to the room in which the festivities were taking place. The further Raquel advanced in the house, the more she realised how posh the place looked. The ceiling was very high, and the carpets were magnificent and soft. The corridors were beautifully lit by a few small sparkly chandeliers, and she could almost smell the clean aroma of the room. The scent threw her off for an instant because it made her reminisce about the rare moments she spent within these walls during her childhood.

As she started to hear voices coming from the large main room, Raquel became acutely aware of how strange this atmosphere was to her. She didn’t dwell on it, however.

_Alright._ She thought. _Time to face the music._

* * *

There was a generous amount of people present, but the enormity of the place provided room for everyone. The sounds of small chatters and lounge music could be heard all through the room. As the minutes passed, Raquel concluded that this wasn’t going badly as she feared, but rather on the contrary, she was enjoying herself.

Indeed, Andrés had been nothing but a pleasant and interesting host. He made conversation with the group and showed them around the room in which he displayed some of his artwork. Raquel had now a very good opinion about him. Not that she had a low opinion of him in the first place, but she grew more and more fond of him as he talked to her. He was very charismatic, and Raquel understood perfectly why someone would be attracted to him or his pieces.

They were in a deep conversation about the sheer beauty of nature, when they were suddenly interrupted by a woman in her early 20s. She had walked quickly towards them and more specifically, towards Andrés, whom shoulder she tapped to grab his attention. The man was cut off mid-sentence and turned around in alarm to see the brunette staring at him expectantly with her arms crossed. Andrés rapidly glanced back to his previous interlocuters, sending a silent apology and turned back around.

“Que pasa?”Andrés impatiently asked.

“Where is he?” asked the young woman, cocking her eyebrows.

“Who?” asked a confused Andrés.

“Aníbal???” Pushed the girl annoyingly. “You said he was going to be there, hence I graced you with my presence. But by the lack of him, I presume it was only a false pretense to make me come all the way here, no?”

“Jesus, Silene, will you once in your life grow up and stop acting childishly?” Andrés sternly hushed her as not to make a scene.

“First of all, I said that he was invited, not that he was coming. Second, I am not in charge of you ex’s whereabouts as he is a responsible _adult_ ” said Andrés, emphasizing his last words. Raquel sensed that there was some sort of story that she was obviously not aware of. But the exchange was enough to pique her interest and she listened closely. “Third, can’t you see that I am in the middle of a conversation with these nice people?” He lifted his arm in their direction as if to prove a point. Silene looked over his shoulder and shot an apologetic glance as she started to look like a defeated child as Andrés went on.

“Lastly, I can assure you that I distinctly recall welcoming him _and his girlfriend_ into the house half an hour ago.” Andrés finished his scolding.

She widened her eyes. “He brought Allison?” 

“Of course, he brought Allison. Everyone was allowed a plus one, and he sure did make use of that.”

Silene lowered her gaze pensively, then looked up sadly at Andrés. Raquel could swear she saw the ghost a tear in the corner of her eyes and couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for the young girl.

Andrés face softened and he took her in his arms. The brunette buried her head in his chest as Andrés soothingly said, “It’s alright, Silene, it’s alright…”

When the hug was over, Silene looked over where the four women. “I’m sorry for so rudely interrupting your discussion and that you had to witness that.” She apologized sincerely with a sad smile.

“Don’t worry about that, it’s really not a problem.” Kindly reassured Raquel.

“No, really, I’m sorry. I let my emotions get the best of me…” said Silene slightly pulling Andrés to her side in order to talk to the group properly.

“Anyway, please, don’t let this bad first impression lower your opinion of me. I promise I’m a lot more fun than that!” She warmly chuckled offering her hand to Raquel.

“Nice to meet you all! My name is Silene, I am a good friend to the family. I live in Madrid.” She introduced herself shaking hands with the rest.

“Hi! Well, this is my mother, Mariví, my sister Laura, my best friend Mónica…” Raquel started presenting everyone, gesturing towards each one, before herself. “And I am Raquel, please to meet you!” she smiled.

Oddly, Silene, who was in the middle of shaking hands with Mónica, abruptly stopped and looked up towards Raquel.

“Raquel??” Asked Silene, genuinely intrigued

Raquel’s brows furrowed but she smiled, nonetheless.

“Well yes… do we know each other?” confusingly inquired Raquel.

Silene who was still looking at her intently, said, “ _No,_ no we do not.” She answered with a small smirk as she let go of Mónica’s hand. “ _Yet.”_ She added curtly.

Raquel found this behavior quite strange, a bit similar to Andrés’ weird welcome. She decided that it was probably the way they were, and she didn’t push it.

Silene amusedly look back at Andrés before a man quickly approached Silene, slightly panting. He was a fit young man, with dark hair and blue eyes. Raquel couldn’t deny that he was attractive, but he was definitely not her type. _However, …_

She slightly glanced at her friend. The latter was, as Raquel had expected, slightly gaping at the man’s appearance.

_Definitely_ her _type._

Mónica realized that her friend was smirking at her and furiously blushed while composing herself.

“Silene!” the man had said. “I found him. He came.”

“Yeah well, you’re a minute late my friend. I’m already aware of his and his _girlfriend_ ’s presence” said Silene, grimacing at the word “girlfriend”. Jealousy was clear on her face.

“Oh well, they’re over there talking with Sergi- “

“Don’t worry! It’s _fine_. Though, I’ll have to talk to Sergio about what I think of fraternizing with the enemy” Silene stopped him. “But since you’re here, let me introduce you to some friends of Andrés.”

And so, Silene introduced him. His name was Daniel, he lived in Madrid as well and had just turned 28. He seemed like a genuine, laid-back, man and fun to have around.

Raquel was generally good at reading people and she didn’t miss the way in which he looked at Mónica while shaking her hand.

_Definitely_ his _type._

* * *

From then on, Raquel no more felt anxious and instead, felt more comfortable than she had been in a long time. They talked, laughed and drank together until the group went in their separate directions. Mariví and Laura went to talk with Martin as he had previously returned from the kitchen, Andrés was fulfilling his duty as host and talking to other guests, while the rest went to refill their drinks.

Raquel momentarily excused herself to the bathroom and Silene, who had spotted a lonely Aníbal in the corner of the room, decided to go and talk to him. The two, as Raquel had discovered throughout the evening, had some unresolved issues.

Silene and Aníbal had met two years ago through Martín and decided to hit it off. At the time, he was only 19 and she, 23, but the age difference didn’t seem to matter. After some time and fooling around regardless of the consequences, Aníbal started to develop feeling towards Silene. That had freaked her out. Raquel sensed that it was probably because of some commitment issues that ran deep within the young woman. And so, the latter pushed him away, breaking his heart in the process. What Silene hadn’t calculated however, was that she regretted it deeply. As much as she wanted to deny it, she cared about Aníbal. A lot. Quite a long time had passed since the breakup and when she finally decided to try to win him back, she found out he was already dating someone else. One of his university friends, Allison Parker. Hence, the profound jealousy Silene felt towards the girl.

As she got out of the bathroom lost in her thoughts, Raquel saw an open door that led to what seemed to be an enormous library or study. The book lover that she was couldn’t help herself, and she slipped inside the room. It was even more immense from within.

The collection was amazing. The bookshelves were fool up to the ceilings and she wondered how many books it held as she went around the room.

Raquel always found books soothing. They helped her escape and live different adventures that she wished she had truly experienced. Her mother always bought her books for her birthdays and she recalled spending her afternoons reading them in her room or in the park. She smiled at the memory.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” Said a sudden deep voice that emanated from the door.

Raquel quickly turned around alarmed and only then did she recognize that voice.

There he was. Sergio Marquina in the flesh. A ghost from her childhood that only seemed to appear each time she forgot his existence. First at her father’s funeral, and now here.

He was still more or less the same as the last time she saw him, although at the time she wasn’t concerned by his appearance for obvious reasons. To be honest, she didn’t recall much of the funeral. Now, she had the time to study him more closely.

He stood tall in the doorframe in a formal office wear, tapping his foot patiently on the carpet. She had to admit he did look quite handsome, like Mariví told her. She wondered if her mother had finally got it right this time and presented her with a man that was actually her type. His glasses added to his sort of nerdish look, but it was weirdly charming.

His black hair in neatly in place around his head, his scruffy beard, and his piercing dark eyes staring sternly at her, made Raquel quite intimidated. She suddenly felt uncomfortable and was at loss of words at the man looked at her expectantly waiting for an explanation.

She grew quite confused at his attitude which was far from the one she recalled. She couldn’t even go as far as to say he had been nice to her. She recalled as much.

Choosing to play it lightly, she smiled. “You can’t expect to have such a wonderful collection of books and keep it away from curious eyes, can you?” She softly laughed.

However, the man in front of didn’t find that amusing nor even as much as suppressed a smile. Instead he looked away and started walking towards a shelf near the large window, looking all serious and composed. He was obviously looking for a book and it was as if she wasn’t in the room. The situation became rather awkward.

Raquel stayed cool and tried to smooth things a bit by making conversation. Maybe he was just having a bad day.

“So… You like reading?” Asked Raquel, eager to lessen the tension present in the room.

The man with his back to her, shuffling though the shelf, didn’t dignify that question with an answer.

Raquel wasn’t one to give up though.

“Your family’s house is really nice by the way, not to mention the gardens. I was wondering, do you employ people to take care of everything or- “

“I was serious.” Sergio rudely cut her off.

Raquel was properly frowning now. _What’s his problem?_

“What?” she asked confused.

He loudly sighed and looked at her over his shoulder with disdain.

“I can’t believe I have to repeat myself” he audibly muttered, turning around to face her. “You are not supposed to be here.” He repeated, emphasizing each syllable as if she was a small toddler.

Raquel was seeing red. _Who was this guy??_

“Look,” he said glancing at his watch before nudging at his glasses, “I don’t have time for this. Of course, I like reading. Yes, we pay people to take care of the house when we are in town.” He dryly and rapidly explained as if those were the most obvious things, clearly having had enough. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He shortly said making his way out of the room, almost bumping into Raquel in the process.

When she was finally alone again, Raquel couldn’t believe what just happened. She had tried to talk politely to him, and he just shut her off so rudely. She could understand if someone was in a bad mood, _hell,_ usually she _was_ the one in a bad mood. But even her tolerance had its limits.

What confused her even more was the contrast of behavior between now and the last time she spoke to him. He had been quite kind and understanding at her father’s funeral, but now Raquel presumed that he had just been plain polite and was now showing his true colors. It was almost as if he didn’t recognize her. _What a jerk!_

 _God,_ she was just so enraged at how that man singlehandedly ruined a perfectly nice evening!

 _No,_ she thought. _I’m not going to give him that privilege._

She internally scoffed.

She didn’t want to remember _this_ as the highlight of the night. She had met some truly wonderful people. They had all agreed to stay in touch and make plans to grab a drink in Madrid one of these days.

Raquel collected herself. It was getting late and she was genuinely exhausted at that point. It gave her the perfect excuse to bid the others goodbye and get home as soon as possible.

_Come on, hold on for a little longer._ She told herself.

* * *

As she regained the main room, she saw everybody enjoying themselves. Everybody was smiling from ear to ear as they chatted with each other. Raquel noticed how the warm and fuzzy atmosphere in this room differed from the cold and tense one in the study.

She approached her mother and sister who were discussing with a neighbor. She grabbed her mother’s attention; told her she wasn’t feeling well and was going home. Her mother grew concerned but Raquel assured her that she would be fine. She hugged her sister goodbye and went to find Mónica.

She wasn’t surprised to find her friend in the company of Daniel, all cozy on the couch, chuckling and looking fondly at each other.

_Called it._

Raquel decided against popping Mónica’s happy bubble. This was a rare sight and she wouldn’t spoil it for the world.

She went to find Silene instead. The latter was refilling her drink.

“Hey, I’m just coming to say goodbye. I’m not feeling so good”

Silene looked at her with wide eyes.

“What??? No, You can’t leave Raquel! The fun has just started!” Objected Silene tipsily, clearly having had too much alcohol.

Raquel figured that her discussion with Aníbal didn’t go as well as planned.

Raquel laughed. “Oh, I think it has indeed. Maybe just for you though. Sorry but I really have to go.”

Silene sadly looked up, “Okay…” she reluctantly nodded. Quickly, her eyes lit up again, “But we’ll see each other again, with Mónica, alright? In Madrid?” She asked determinedly.

Raquel smiled warmly. “Claro, Claro! I’ll bring my other friend. I have a feeling you to will really get along.”

“Alright, until then, take care!” Silene pulled her in for a hug. It was odd to think, that only a few hours ago, those two didn’t know each other from Adam.

Raquel said goodbye to Martín and went to look for Andrés to thank him as well for everything.

Raquel looked around attentively but couldn’t spot him anywhere in the room. She poked her head through the kitchen door, no success. She spent a good five minutes attempting to find him in vain. She eventually gave up and went to grab her coat from the walk-in closet situated in the entryway.

As she was about to walk out, she stopped dead in her tracks as she heard the voice that was the cause of her anger.

“Andrés for the last time, please give up already!” exclaimed Sergio walking down the stairs and heading towards the doors. Raquel was thankful he already had his coat on as she was still hidden in the closet.

“Just consider it, hermanito!” His brother insisted.

“No! Do you want me to spell it out for you? I do not need you to play matchmaker and set me up with some lame divorcee, you understand?” he angrily countered.

Oh.

_Oh._

She was the _lame divorcee,_ wasn’t she?

_The nerves of that guy, really._

It’s not that she wanted to appeal to him or anything, but she was frustrated that now he was probably thinking that she had been trying to seduce him earlier. When really, she was trying to _be_ _nice_.

Now she understood Andrés’ strange changes of behavior she witnessed at the beginning of the evening and why her mother had spent most of her time praising Sergio like he was some sort of god. They had _both_ been playing matchmakers.

_Oh, how well that had turned out._ She ironically thought and laughed internally.

Sergio’s next words, however, made Raquel’s blood turn painfully cold.

“You didn't tell me why her marriage ended. But you want to know what I think?” he defied. “Her husband probably got tired of hearing her blabber all the time and dumped her. I haven’t even spent 5 minutes with her, and I want to do the _exact_ same thing!”

“ENOUGH!” yelled Andrés, but was too late. Raquel had clearly heard every bitter word that came out of Sergio’s mouth.

Sergio was shocked to say the least. His brother practically never raised his voice, only for truly important matters.

And when Raquel stormed out of the closet with angry tears, looking down at the floor, avoiding their gazes; walked out the door, violently bumping into Sergio on purpose, Sergio knew that he had crossed a line…

And that is how Raquel’s weekend ended, with her shattered and in tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you think? Again please do not kill me yet, this is a slow burn and you'll have many other occasions. This is simply the beginning. 
> 
> The next update won't be as fast, I'm sorry. I have a lot of work right now, but I'm positive that it'll be during the week.
> 
> Please don't hesitate to leave a comment.


	3. Prince Charming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raquel goes back to her routine and learns about a secret admirer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry for the delay. School just started again and I din't really have time.
> 
> Anyway, enough excuses, here is the chapter.

Raquel was staring out of the office’s break room window pensively, recalling the events of the weekend.

She had gone straight back to her mother’s house and to bed in tears of exhaustion. She had just been so tired of the whole situation, of everything. It was simply too much. The wounds of her heart still ran deep within her and she detested it. She was majorly angry at Sergio for being so rude and tactless, but also at herself for letting it affect her so much.

She should have been strong. She should have marched out of the closet and give the man a piece of her mind, before saying goodbye to and thanking Andrés. But instead, she ran out like a coward, refusing to face her fears and demons.

Raquel thought she had been doing better. Every day since the divorce, she had made a step towards recovery, but it seemed that she had underestimated the power of the scars she bore.

Raquel was a woman that hid a troubled past.

Indeed, when she was at university, Raquel had experienced the joys of being in love. It was a common emotion amongst young people, and Raquel had never been immune to it. She had met a charismatic and clever man who had made her feel like she was the only girl in the world and fell in love. And she fell hard. They both did.

Everything happened so quickly and without an ounce of hesitation.

However, there lied the dangers of passion. She took his hand and ran by his side, without ever looking back, following him blindly… stupidly.

Next thing she knew, Raquel found herself saying _I do_ when she was only 23. Her family never dared question her choices, seeing her happy in the arms of that man.

Little did they know how Raquel’s paradise soon came tumbling down and was replaced by the burning flames of hell.

The first year of marriage had been a happy one. The reality still hadn’t crashed in. She even had good memories of that time, with, of course, the few inevitable lovers’ quarrels from time to time.

The quarrels kept getting worse and worse in time. She was soon trapped in a toxic and abusive relationship. Raquel didn’t even notice it at first, still idealizing his every word, move or decision. In those cases, the victims don’t realize much of what is actually happening. It’s a crescendo phenomenon. Harsh words soon turn to strikes.

Getting out of it hadn’t been easy. Raquel believed the man she fell in love was still in him, somewhere. She refused to give up on him. She refused to think that she had been so foolish to get herself in that situation.

_This is what she got for marrying a man she had just met._

And deeply, Raquel still felt she had probably deserved it all to some extent.

_Exactly_ as Sergio had suggested in his outburst

She knew he probably had no idea about it. Truth was, few people knew.

Nevertheless, it did not make up for the way he treated her all night long. They didn’t owe anything to one another, except pure and polite _respect_. And there had definite lack of it.

Raquel shook her head and internally scoffed at the memory of his proud and haughty attitude. Sergio didn’t know her and therefore had no right to judge her in this way or make outrageous assumptions about her life. She was still furious as she was eating her lunch on Monday.

Soon however, Mónica joined her, distracting Raquel from her inner rant. They both enjoyed their lunch while talking about work and Monica’s newfound interest in Silene’s friend, Daniel. Monica told her all about how charming he had been. She was crushing hard.

It was a relief for Raquel to see that at least her friend had had a good time. Raquel didn’t really have the chance to get a sense of Daniel’s character but trusted Mónica’s judgement. Although Raquel remained somehow skeptical upon hearing the way her friend depicted him.

Mónica had had a few boyfriends over the years and they had always had the same profile: serious, sensible mature man. They never had been too exciting, however kind they were, and Mónica had never gone out of her comfort zone when it came to her love life. This was what worried Raquel. Daniel and Mónica seemed so different on so many levels, and Raquel was afraid that they might be looking for the same things in a relationship. Nevertheless, she decided to give her friend the benefice of the doubt and encourage whatever was flourishing between the two of them. And even from what Raquel gathered, they seemed to really like each other.

And so, Mónica told her all about the fact that Daniel had asked her on a date, that she was quite nervous about the whole thing and did not want to mess this up.

“Don’t worry about that Mónica, trust me. You are the last person that I would worry about in this situation.”, reassured Raquel.

“You really think so?”, asked Mónica, unconvinced.

“Of course! You are a smart, bubbly and wonderful woman. He’d be a fool not to see that.”

“I don’t know Raquel… I just-”

“He’ll love you.” She said decisively. “And you have any problem, don’t hesitate to pull an _Agatá_ on me, alright” amusedly continued Raquel and the two of them shared a laugh.

“What in the hell is an _Agatá_?!”

The two friends whipped their heads in the direction of the voice, only to find the said Agatá looking at them expectantly with a hint of amusement.

Raquel and Mónica looked at each other before exploding into laughter.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing” assured Raquel trying to catch her breath in-between each laugh.

“It’s not nothing. Come on, tell me. I promise not to get mad.” Insisted Agatá while pulling out a chair to sit at the table.

“Oh, we know you won’t get mad.”, Raquel smiled, “It’s just, remember two weeks ago when you asked me again to call you in the middle of your date so you could escape. Well we just baptized the move in your honor, since you seem so keen on it.”

“Ah, I see!” Agatá laughed loudly. “Yeah, it’s true I do that a lot. But at the same time, it’s not my fault I always get stuck with the most boring or weirdest person ever. Plus, you two would do the same in my place!”, she argued.

“Exactly what I was saying to our dear Mónica right here, who just got herself a date!” divulged Raquel excitedly.

“NO WAY! Oh my god, Mónica!” Exclaimed Agatá. “Who’s the lucky fellow?”

“Just a guy I met at Andrés’ engagement party. His name is Daniel” She shyly answered.

“That’s amazing, you go girl!” cheered Agatá.

“I’m quite happy, honestly” Mónica flashed them a genuine smile and they shared a quiet beat.

“By the way!”, Agatá interrupted the trance. “How did that go? Like the party and everything?” she inquired. “Well, obviously, I assume it went well for Mónica here…” she said suggestively, smirking and waggling her eyebrows. “But what about you Raquel?”

_Oh boy._

“Yeah, about that, why did you suddenly disappear? You could have told me you were going home. I would have gone with you.”

Raquel had managed to forget about that momentarily, and she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to talk about what happened yet.

So, she chose discretion over the complete truth to avoid rehashing about something she wanted to get out of her head.

“Oh, no. Don’t worry about that, I was just really tired. I actually came to find you before leaving but didn’t want to disturb you and Daniel’s discussion. It really looked like you two were bonding.” Raquel feigned a smile.

Alright, that much was true to be fair.

Mónica wasn’t convinced though.

“Did you have fun reconnecting with Andrés?” asked Agatá

“Actually, I did yes. He’s truly an interesting man with insightful views and I really enjoyed talking to him.” She answered genuinely. “I also met Silene, his friend, who I’ll seriously have to introduce to you by the way.” She said seriously. “And yes, that’s about it…”.

“Well, that’s nice, don’t you think?” she said turning to Mónica who seemed deep in thought. You could almost see the gears working above her head while she nodded absentmindedly.

Until finally, she looked up at Raquel seriously.

“Did you encounter Sergio, by any chance?”

_Jesus, that woman was smart._

“Uhm… Well, yes… I-I did… Why do you ask?”

“I just thought it was curious for Andrés to come to me at the end of the party and to insist so much on how sorry he was for the everything, while his brother was standing behind him staring at the floor, looking so guilty and ashamed. Of course, I didn’t think much of it, but I figured something might have happened. But considering you smoothly attempted to avoid mentioning it, I suppose it must be a big deal.”

Raquel sighed. Of course, she couldn’t fool her.

“Alright, you got me.” She sadly said and proceeded to explain the whole story in detail.

When she was finished, the two other women were looking at Raquel flabbergasted. Soon, however, both their faces shifted to frowning and angry ones. Agatá, not surprisingly, was the first to speak.

“What. In. The. Hell? Who does that guy think he is? He literally doesn’t know shit about you or what’s going on in your life and he’s presumptuous enough to think he has the right to make some bullshit assumptions?”

“Yes exactly! And how dare he acts condescending with you? So much for your mother’s painting of him.” Mónica added scoffing.

Raquel looked into the distance, zoning out slightly. She really wanted to put this past her.

“Raquel, I swear. If he comes near you again, you call me, and I’ll come run him over with my car. My father taught me how to make a corpse disappear, you know?”

This was enough for Agatá to earn a smile from Raquel.

“Thank you, I appreciate it. _Trust me._ ” She laughed lightly. “But that won’t be necessary, I am done with men making me waste time and patience. It’s over, no need to dwell on it.”

“Well, you’re really generous” Agatá scoffed, “I would not be that kind.”

“Men are so insensible”, huffed Mónica shaking her head.

“Yes, I think I’m done with men and their stupid antics.”, Raquel said decisively.

At that, Agatá raised her head suddenly, almost as in alarm. She looked at Mónica for an instant, and then turned back to her other friend.

It looked like she wanted to say something but just couldn’t bring herself to voice her thought.

“What?” Raquel laughed nervously.

Agatá just pursed her lip too shy to speak, which worried Raquel since it was not a sight she saw often in her friend.

“What is it?” she repeated, “I can see you want to say something, go on.”

Agatá let out a strained sigh and finally spoke.

“It’s just that- okay- It’s just that when I came here looking for you two, I was actually on my way to tell you something. But now, I think it’s probably irrelevant since you claim you’re done with men.”

“Okay… Well, it won’t hurt to tell me, no?”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Okay, you see Suarez, handsome lad in my department?”

Raquel rolled her eyes, “Of course I know him, everyone does.”

“And practically _every_ woman present in this building has had a crush on him.”

She laughed. “Yeah _that_ I know as well.”

“Are _you_ one of those women?” Agatá asked carefully.

Raquel laughed. “Well… I don’t know… I never really talked to him but he’s really handsome, that I admit.”

Agatá let out a sigh of relief, “Okay, good enough. So. Yesterday, I was in the break room and he approached me and started to ask me some questions about you. Of course, I asked him why and it was clear he sounded _very_ interested…”

Raquel looked at her disbelievingly. “Interested? In me? You just said he could have anyone here so why me?”

Agatá gave her an obvious look. “Please, stop with the modesty already!”, she whined, “Or has this Marquina dude completely made you insecure? Of course, he’s interested in you! You really think he’s the first guy here to have come to me with the intention of asking you out?” she asked incredulously.

“What?” Raquel asked, her brows furrowing.

“Yeah well, I didn’t tell you because I thought them quite pretentious to believe they could have you. But Suarez? Gosh, I wouldn’t mind getting a piece of that myself!”

“Agatá!” Raquel exclaimed laughing.

“Anyway, so what do you say?”

“Uhh… I don’t know, it can’t hurt to give it a shot, right?”

Mónica spoke up for the first time in a while.

“Wait, let’s not rush anything. You guys are aware of his reputation?” She seriously asked.

The two women shrugged confusedly in unison.

“No. What about it?” Agatá asked nonchalantly.

Mónica closed her eyes and inhaled in exasperation.

“Everybody knows he’s a womanizer.” She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Pffff. That doesn’t mean anything.” Agatá scoffed.

“Oh yeah? Ask Annie from our department as well as Rita and Leila from yours.” She argued.

“Okay, alright, maybe. But what’s the problem? She could still go out with him and have some fun. God know how long it’s been for her.”

“Hey! I’m still here.”

“Whoops”, Agatá feigned an apology.

“Urgh, I hate that you’re still right.” She said rubbing her eyes tiredly. She huffed, “You’re both right. I don’t know… I’ll think about it, alright?”

“ _Vale_.” They both said before finishing their lunch in the most normal way.

* * *

In the afternoon, Raquel kept weighing her two options over and over: avoid another deception or have some fun? She knew that the two weren’t incompatible. But she also knew herself. Raquel had never succeeded in entertaining a fun and meaningless relationship. She always grew attached and ended up getting hurt.

However, this was a new year and she really had no reason to refuse testing it out. She knew Suarez wasn’t the romantic kind of guy. And maybe that would play in her favor this time. She just would have to have some restraint.

As she was still pondering, the clock hit 6 O’clock, meaning it was the end of her day. She was relieved that the day was over as she was already extremely tired, even for the beginning of the week. She said goodbye to Mónica and her colleagues and marched in direction of the break room for one last coffee.

As she was walking, she felt her phone vibrating in her back pocket. She looked at the caller ID in confusion. Why did he have to call her? She was exhausted.

She exhaled deeply before answering.

“Hola Andrès. What’s up?”

“Raquel? Thank god you answered. I have been trying to get hold of you the whole weekend.”

“Oh sorry, I’ve just been extremely busy.” She lied.

“It’s okay. I was just telling you how incredibly sorry I am for what happened. The things Sergio said are just unforgivable, but he had no idea-“

“It wasn’t just that.” She cut him off impatiently. “When I talked to him, he was just being extremely rude for no apparent reason.”

“Yes, I know, and I am deeply sorry. See, my brother has trouble getting on with people and he doesn’t enjoy company that much. I may have tried to get him out of his comfort zone a bit brusquely and he must have lashed out on you instead of me. Since his divorce, he’s just not been the same, but I thought he had been doing better. Now I guess not. Again, Raquel I am utterly sorry. I hope you can forgive him.”

“How old is Sergio?” She asked after a beat.

“Uhh, well he’s- “

“Because I suppose he’s old enough to know how to use a phone and apologize himself, no?” What is this? The apology of a coward?” She asked incredulously.

He let out a strained sigh, “I wish I could show you how completely sorry I feel…”

“Me too Andrès… me too.” She said sadly.

“But it doesn’t matter. It’s over now, no need to dwell on it.”

“Are you sur- “

“Andrès. I’m fine. Have a good night.”

“Alright, you too Raquel. See you soon.”

She didn’t respond and ended the call.

* * *

Raquel was still drinking her coffee, when someone entered the room. She turned around to find none other than the famous Suarez. He stood tall and handsome, looking at her somehow longingly with a smirk playing on his lips. He approached her like an animal would its prey.

He was the first to speak.

“Murillo, fancy seeing you here.” He said smoothly.

Raquel rolled her eyes amusedly before turning around.

_He’s definitely a charmer._

“Suarez.” She acknowledged him with a small nod.

“It’s funny. I just came back from an interesting conversation with your friend, Agatá .”

“Oh yeah?” she feigned innocence. A small flirt couldn’t hurt.

“Yes,” he said approaching her more and more by each passing second, “From what I gather, _you_ have a crush on _me.”_ He said amusedly _._

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She shrugged.

“Really? Because I noticed the way you look at me.”

“Did you now?” she asked looking into his lustful eyes. _God,_ she must be so horny to go on with that conversation.

“Mmhm,” he hummed in appreciation, before leaning closer to her and seductively saying, “I know because it’s the same way I look at you.”

When he pulled back, she let out an inaudible sigh. She felt flushed.

A beat passes and she slowly recovers. It felt so good to be seduced by someone.

“Have dinner with me.” He abruptly said.

Raquel was still a bit taken aback and simply nodded in compliance. She didn’t know why but she had to say yes.

“Great. Ask Agatá for my number, will you?” he didn’t wait for a response. Instead he winked at her and turned around, walking out, as quickly as he had arrived.

Raquel stared in the distance while she tried to comprehend what the hell she had agreed to. He was good, she thought. Still, she wasn’t disappointed. Rather the contrary, she was charmed and was looking forward to seeing him again. She didn’t know why she felt so attracted to him. She usually didn’t like those pretentious seducers that expected everyone to fall at their feet.

It was probably because anyone contrasted with how horrible Sergio Marquina had treated her, could seem like a prince charming in her eyes.

_I deserve a little fun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? Infuriating, kind of, no?


	4. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raquel finally goes on a date with Suarez. What could possibly go wrong? 🤔😏

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooo!!!!! so sorry this update was so slow, it's just that I have so many things on my plate right now and I try to write during my free time sooo... Anyway here is the next chapter, it's rather short, but I'll try to update as soon as I can. Please bear with me and the characters, it's a slow burn after all, so please DO NOT KILL ME. thank you.

This had been a good week for Raquel. She had been doing great at work, she was feeling confident and empowered, and she could almost say she had forgotten about the New year incident. Raquel had never been the one to dwell on things, or at least things that didn’t matter and she was determined to make the latter fall into that category.

Truth was, Raquel had been looking forward to Friday and when the day came, she couldn’t wait the evening to enjoy her date. With Suarez. She was pretty confident, after all, Raquel was a beautiful, funny and interesting woman. She had the right to be confident. However, on the practical side, she couldn’t deny the fact that she was nervous. It had been a long time since she had been on a date, and she felt lately as if her luck with the opposite gender was running extremely low.

Never mind that, the conversation she had had with Monica this afternoon was not helping either. They had been talking about how great her date with Daniel had went and yet she still hadn’t heard from him. Raquel had to reassure her that Daniel was indeed going to call her back at some point and that he was probably busy that was all. Monica then asked her about her date and whether she was looking forward to it, at which Raquel responded that it was the case.

“Alright, just... just be careful, will you?” Monica had said

“Mon, of course! What are you implying? That I’ve lost my touch?” Raquel sarcastically smirked, trying to lighten the mood. Upon seeing the still anguished expression of her interlocutor she added, “It’ll be fine, I know how to defend myself. Remember how I told you I used to want to be a cop? That can come in handy!”, she winked at her friend, earning a smile from that latter.

“Plus, it’s not like I’m going on a date with the devil, right? Trust me, it’ll have to be a really shitty date in order to top Mr. Stick-up-his-ass!” she said jokingly. That latter referring to Sergio Marquina of course.

Nevertheless, Raquel couldn’t help but get the presentiment that as always, things wouldn’t go as well as she planned.

* * *

Raquel was waiting patiently in front of her apartment building. It was a chilly Friday night in Madrid, which was typical climate at this time of the year. Suarez was a tad late, but she was too lazy to go back in, climb the stair, fish out the keys from her purse and wait inside. She told herself it was fine, and she would blame his late arrival on the traffic as well as the fact that her neighborhood was kind of a maze for newcomers. She could testify that by admitting she got lost a few times when she first moved in.

Her phone pinged, signaling she had just received a message. She figured it was from Suarez, excusing himself for running a bit late, but it wasn’t.

It was Silene.

 _Oh :(_ _, ok don’t worry we understand, some other time maybe then?_

Silene had previously proposed to Raquel an evening out with the band, trying to convince her by saying she would pay for everything and ensuring that they would have lots of fun. Raquel had kindly declined the offer as she had prior engagements, but she would definitely try to renew it at some point.

Raquel responded

_Claro, have fun!_

Finally, Suarez arrived. Raquel was a little disappointed in him, but again, her expectations weren’t very high. His car was magnificent and was probably very expensive. Raquel wasn’t particularly fond of cars, although she had to acknowledge Suarez had great taste. Before she could so much as express her discontentment about his tardiness, he smoothly opened his car door, stepped out of the vehicle, took a few strides towards her, before taking her hand and placing a chaste kiss on it, his eyes never leaving hers. He uttered a “Hola, Señorita”, with a charming smirk.

If it had been any other person, Raquel would have probably laughed at the cheesiness of the move. However, due to the atmosphere and the fact that he was rather handsome, Raquel’s breath slightly caught in her throat.

_Come on, Raquel, what’s this you’re not a teenager anymore, joder!_

He then took her hand and led her towards the passenger’s car door and opened it for her. Nobody had ever done that for her, and that is probably why she let go of the matter of his lateness.

Once in the car, he turned to her.

“I’m glad you accepted my offer” he smiled. “Shall we get drinks before?”

She nodded enthusiastically.

Maybe it would turn out to be a really nice date after all.

* * *

_Gosh,_ it was indeed a really nice date. Suarez had kept Raquel grinning non-stop since thy had stepped into that bar. The bar was extremely fancy, and even though it was the 21st century and Raquel was a fervent feminist, she wouldn’t mind him paying if he insisted, like the gentleman he was. He was really funny, handsome and well… charming. He made her feel like she was someone important, like the only woman in the room. She didn’t care whether he meant it, but it felt right and comforting. She was having fun, and that was what mattered.

At some point, she excused herself to go to the bathroom only to freshen up a little. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she was flushing. He was really _charming_.

(Ok Raquel, we get it)

She regained her composure thinking that if anything, he should be the one flushing. She was Raquel Murillo after all, not some 16-year-old schoolgirl talking to her crush. She had her charms, and she would make sure to use it on him and have a little fun.

When she stepped out of the bathroom and started in direction of the counter, where Suarez was sitting, however, she bumped into a strong, bulk and tall body.

“I’m sorr-“she was cut short of her apology as her eyes shifted from the man’s chest to land unto his face.

And there _he_ was.

Like the last time, as a ghost coming back to haunt her, _Sergio_ _Marquina_ was standing right in front of her. He was in a casual grey suit, although his tie was missing, probably signaling that those were his evening-out clothes. His face, which was towering over hers appeared startled yet characteristically stern.

She took a step back, nervously straightening her dress. She looked at him. He hadn’t budged. All the anger she had managed to put aside these past few weeks started rising up again upon seeing him here, in all of his glory. With his dark piercing eyes, perfectly framed by his glasses, not a hair out of place and his stupidly perfect trimmed beard. What infuriated her the most was the effect he had on her. Raquel would be deluded to say that he wasn’t attractive. He was very handsome, more handsome than Suarez even. She would also be lying if she told that she had never thought of him in that way. And seeing him out of the blue, unprepared only added to her growing frustration.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, genuinely surprised. His defiant and unamicable composure from last time clearly having disappeared. Instead, he seemed awkward and uncomfortable with no trace of confidence whatsoever.

“I could ask you the same thing.” She drily snapped. He looked at her, hands deep in his pockets.

“I’m with, huh...” gesturing behind him as if to prove a point.

He didn’t get to finish.

“RAQUEL!!! QUERIDA! What are you doing here?” A very tipsy silene suddenly appeared.

“Oh my god, I thought you said you couldn’t go.” Silene confusingly said, squinting her eyes, as if to make something out of the situation.

Raquel laughed, amused by her new friend’s drunken cluelessness.

“No, I’m actually here with someone. I just happened to bump into…” she tilted her head toward the individual, not daring to say his name just yet.

“Me.” He completed, almost as if he understood.

“Oh, but there you are!” exclaimed silene, violently tapping Sergio’s shoulder, probably unaware of her own strength in her drunken state, because Raquel caught him slightly wincing.

“I thought you said you were leaving?” she asked more confused than ever.

“I was. I am. I just bumped into…”

“Me.” Raquel completed in the same manner

Silene made an ‘O’ sound, as realization dawned on her.

Then, Daniel appeared out of nowhere, visibly annoyed.

“Silene, will you please stop screaming, they’ll kick us out if you continue”

Raquel took the opportunity to tell him that Monica was waiting for his call. Upon hearing that, Daniel looked surprised and quite hopeful.

“Really? You… You think she wants to see me again?”

Raquel laughed incredulously. “Of course, what makes you think that? The date went great, no?”

“Well, yes, it did. It’s just… I thought… Sergio, here, told me it wasn’t a good idea and I just let my hopes down.”

“He what?” Raquel couldn’t believe her ears. Who did he think he was? God. Did he deem himself the judge of every person he ever encountered? What judgement could he draw from Monica’s perfect and kind character? He was unbelievable.

Silene’s whine interrupted her thoughts.

“DANIII, can we call Anibal? Pleeeeease, I miss him.”

“Okay, Okay. Vamos. Sorry guys, I have to take care of her”

Daniel and Silene were quickly out of sight. She turned towards the man she was learning to despise with every new information she was given apparently, ready to give him a piece of her mind. He had no right insulting her in the first place, but insulting her friend? That definitely didn’t sit well with her.

However, he had other plans, it seemed.

“I want to apologize.”

She hadn’t seen that one coming.

“For my behavior the other day. I was angry at my brother and I took it out on you. I didn’t realize… I didn’t know about your divorce and what I said was very insensible. I am deeply sorry. I hope you will forgive me.”. He seemed genuine, at least.

Raquel was stunned and suspicious.

“Did your brother put you up to this?”

“No.” he shily smiled, showing cute dimples Raquel wouldn’t have suspected. It did nothing to calm her nerves. He frustrated her.

“Alright. But that doesn’t make it okay. I hope you realize that.”

“I do”, he seriously replied.

Raquel could hold grudges, and she held one against him, nevertheless. His apology didn’t make up for his arrogance and haughtiness. She was about to tell him it wasn’t either to insult her friends, when she realized she had left Suarez for longer than intended. She shouldn’t waste her time with this man, she knew better than that by now.

“I have to go, I’m here with someone.”

Something flashed in his eyes. Was it resentment, anger, disappointment? Raquel did not know. Nor did she really care, she tried to convince herself.

“Yes… I can see that” He said somberly, his eyes locking onto something behind her.

At that precise moment, she felt an arm snake around her waist and a peck on her cheek, that lingered far too long on her skin. It was Suarez.

“There you are, darling. I have been looking for you”

 _Darling_? What the hell was that? This whole demeanor seemed way to personal for a first date, and as far as Raquel’s experience came in terms of relationships, for a 4th as well. Confusion could be written all over her face. She didn’t know why but it didn’t seem quite proper, especially given the presence of Sergio Marquina less than a meter away.

She looked at Suarez’s arm possessively securing her against him, then at his face, which to her great incomprehension, was fixed unto Sergio’s face with an air of defiance. She was astonished to find the same kind of response on Sergio’s part, with, was it a hint of jealousy? Surely not, that would be absurd.

“Marquina.” Acknowledged Suarez with contempt.

“Suarez.” Sergio responded coldy.

“You two know each other?” Raquel pitched in, surprised and eager to clear off the animosity.

“Yes.” Simply said Sergio, his eyes remained fixed to Suarez’s. Raquel felt out of place.

Suarez finally looked at her with a smile “Long story love. Shall we? We’ll be late for our reservations.”

Raquel nodded slowly, perplexed.

“Pleasure seeing you here, Marquina” Suarez addressed arrogantly.

“I wish I could say the same.” Answered Sergio, seemingly fuming.

Next thing Raquel knew, they were out of the bar, and Raquel was left dumbfounded, trying to make sense of the scene she just witnessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do we think? Please never hesitate to leave a comment, it always warms my heart.


	5. Happy Valentine's Day!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of Raquel's date and the aftermath. Maybe she wasn't going to spend this year's Valentine's Day alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what? That's right I'm back, with a new chapter. I figured since I had the time this week I was going to right another, longer chapter. I wasn't planning on posting it so soon and just keep it in stock, but I was too eager to show it to you guys hehe. Consider this a 'I'm going back to school tomorrow' gift. So here it is! 
> 
> There a lot of references to the film in this chapter, I like it too much to leave it out. I'll try to incorporate some things from the book as well because they are simply priceless. Just wait and see!
> 
> Enjoy 😉

The rest of the date went smoothly. Suarez and Raquel got to know each other better, and they were really enjoying their time together. He kept on making jokes and she kept on smiling like an idiot. At some point Raquel thought that she could definitely see this going somewhere. At first, she had been reluctant at the idea, with everything she had been told and his reputation, she pegged him more as a hook-up kind of guy, and truthfully, that was all she was looking for. But the attraction was here. The desire was here. And _God_ , did he make her forget all her problems and made her feel like a beautiful woman. He was still a very mysterious person, and she was sure that this humorous and charming façade hid something. The proof of that might be the cold encounter between him and Sergio Marquina that she witnessed.

When they were finishing their desserts, Suarez said out of nowhere, “May I ask how you know Mr. Professor Marquina?”. His head was resting on his hand.

“Oh, huh, I’ve sort of known him since I was a little kid. We lived practically next door and there weren’t many kids of our age, so we kind of stuck together for a while. I was so young I don’t remember any of it. Then, of course, we grew up and apart. It was definitely for the best when I see what he’s become now.” She huffed the last sentence.

“Which is?” encouraging her to elaborate.

“A self-centered arrogant prick.” She said simply.

He smiled. “Can’t argue with that.”, retuning his attention to his plate. 

Her unsatiable curiosity pushed her to press the matter.

“What about you?”

He looked up, “Huh?”

“How do you know him? I sensed some history.”

“Clever girl. Yes. I was… best man at his wedding. We went to university together; we were friends” He said all serious with a tad of difficulty.

“Then what?”

“And then…uhh… nothing”, he said his eyes looking upwards, avoiding hers.

“You don’t need to protect him, he’s no friend of mine.” She reassured sensing his nervousness. She smiled encouragingly.

His eyes were fixed on the table, pensively.

“Well, hum… then… many years later. I made the somewhat catastrophic mistake of introducing him to my fiancée. And hum… I couldn’t say in all honesty I’ve ever quite forgiven him.”

Raquel was shocked. Although, now that she thought about it, it wouldn’t be so surprising. He was a dick after all.

“ _God_. So, he’s a nasty bastard.” She said, still astonished. After an instant she added, “As well as a dull bastard.” Attempting to lighten up his mood.

It worked. He cracked a small smile. “Yes. I think that’s fair. But listen, fuck him. Don’t let him ruin our evening. Why don’t you have some more wine?”.

For the remaining duration of the dinner, Raquel’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift towards a certain spectacled individual.

 _Just_ when she was starting to try to understand him and his point of view. To make it easier, she had told herself that he had indeed been angry at Andrès and lashed out on her instead of him. I mean, even she wasn’t too keen on being ‘set up’ with someone she barely knew. But now that she heard Suarez’s story, she was _fuming_. Raquel couldn’t believe her ears. Not only was he an extremely rude and unpleasant character, but he had no entitlement whatsoever (not that anyone should really have one).

She was brought back to their earlier encounter and thought of the cold way in which he acted. Unbelievable. Suarez had seemingly made an effort in being civil while he, didn’t seem to care in the slightest and acted in a very mean manner for someone who was clearly in the wrong. She had instantly forgiven the way Suarez strangely acted, calling her ‘darling’ and ‘love’. He had a ‘right’ to do so. But _He_. Oh, _He_ had significantly lowered in her esteem regard. Not that he was very high in it to begin with.

* * *

Suarez kindly dropped Raquel off at hers, but not without walking her to the door.

“I had a really great time tonight”, said Raquel turning to him.

“I’m glad.”

There was a pause. She didn’t know who initiated it, but next thing she knew, they were kissing. _God_ did it feel good to finally have someone else’s lips on hers after such a long time.

They both pulled away after a while and looked at each other smiling. He was the first to speak.

“I don’t know what you’ve done to me Murillo”, he said amusingly shaking his head.

“I don’t know what you’ve done to me either.” She laughed slightly, “I must tell you that I’m not the kind of woman who goes and kisses a guy on the first date, normally.”

“Oh no?”

“No.” she said suppressing a smile.

“And you’re not like the other king of girls, are you?”

“Well, I don’t know…” she smiled shily, looking away.

“Trust me. You’re not. I don’t know what it is about you that makes me question everything. I’m assuming you’ve heard of my reputation, that is unfortunately well founded. But believe me when I say that when I am with you, I want to be different. Better. You make me better.”

_Wow._

If you asked Raquel, she wouldn’t be able to tell you about anytime a guy talked to her this way. Like she was the most precious thing in the world. It seemed almost too good to be true. But there he was. The prince charming she had been waiting for.

She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his again.

* * *

Four the next four weeks, Raquel couldn’t stop gushing to her best friends about how she was living in a romantic comedy with Suarez. He was a dream come true. To be honest, Raquel quickly understood that he was no prince charming or a complete gentleman. This façade came off with time to leave room for an air of sexy nonchalance. There was only Raquel to find this extremely attractive.

Her friends were definitely happy to see her so joyful since it had been a rare occurrence lately. And if Mónica hadn’t been herself in the same state, she probably would have told Raquel to stop being so infatuated. Only Agatá said something after a while, or rather started faking a gag each time the two other women would speak so fondly about their dates.

“Urgh. You guys are going to make me sick.”

“Oh, come on, it’s just a matter of time. You’ll find someone in no time.” Raquel said. She couldn’t believe that a few weeks back, someone else was giving _her_ that speech.

"No, no, don’t get me wrong! This does not sound appealing, _at all.”_ Agatá said with an air of distaste, “At least not to me.” She shrugged. Agatá had never been into serious relationships, and she was perfectly content this way.

“But hey! I’m happy for you, just as long as you don’t leave me hanging, okay?”

“We would never do that to you come on!” Mónica interjected.

Agatá looked suspicious, “Just wait and see. In a few months you two will be settled and have a dog named ‘Bud’.”

The two friends laughed. “Claro que no!” Raquel said, unable to contain her laughter. “I promise you that won’t happen.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because I would never name my dog ‘Bud’.” The three of them laughed.

“Okay, okay. But in all seriousness, we have to have a night out. And soon.”

“Yes!” said Mónica excitedly.

“I suppose you have plans for Valentine’s Day, so what about the 13th, this Friday?”

“Oh, lo siento, no puedo…” Raquel winced. “I took the day off, I have a family party which I already tried to get out of, but in vain.”

“Again?”

“Yes. And trust me, it’s not something I’m too keen on.”, she said shaking her head, “But definitely after. We can have a girls’ night right after, I promise.”

“You better make it up to us Murillo.” Said Agatá pointing between herself and Mònica.

“I will.” She promised.

* * *

The day came. She was waiting on her doorstep for Suarez, as they were supposed to go together. He was late as usual. Raquel had come to terms with the fact that it was probably in his nature and she didn’t hold it against him. After fifteen minutes, however, she decided it was best to call him. After a several rings, he picked up.

“ _Raquel_?”, his voice was thick with sleep.

“Suarez. I’m just calling you to make sure you didn’t forget about our little trip.”

“ _Fuck. Yes, I was about to call you.”_

“What is it?” she asked worriedly.

_“I can’t make it sorry. I woke up with a serious stomachache and I don’t think it will pass. Sorry.”_

_Perfect._ Raquel sighed. Now she definitely didn't want to go. 

“Oh. Well…don’t worry, it’s fine.”, she lied. It's not like it was his fault. 

_“Joder. I feel like shit. Hold on at least let me drive you. I’ll be there in ten.”_

She smiled. He was sweet. He was driving her even though he was sick. She forgave him already.

He came to pick her up and they drove in comfortable silence. He stopped in front of the inn they were supposed to stay in together and her offered to carry her suitcase. She checked in at the reception and he paid for her room as, after all, he felt guilty for standing her up.

“Take care and again, I am truly sorry.” He said as they were parting, lowering his gaze to the ground.

“It’s no problem. I understand.”, she attempted a smile. In all honesty she was hurt.

At that precise moment, their heard the footsteps of someone coming down the stairs. They both looked up at the same time and identified the stranger.

_You have got to be kidding me._

“Oh, Jesus”, Raquel muttered under her breath, although everyone in the room could have heard it.

The man approached the two of them steadily. “Well, well," he said, looking alternatively between her and Suarez, "I take it you two are also heading for this rockery.”

“Yes.”, she responded calmly, although inside she was starting to have difficulty containing her disgust for the man who was none other than the arrogant Mr. Marquina. “Well, just me… rather.” She added after a while looking at the man beside her who was getting more uncomfortable by the second. _Poor_ _Suarez_ , she thought, it mustn’t be easy facing your nemesis for what is the second time in the space of two weeks.

Sergio’s eyes shifted from her to look briefly at Suarez. His gaze was sending daggers. It only infuriated Raquel more to think that, he felt entitled to be rude to Suarez, after all he had done to the guy. He was a vile character.

His very awkward stance didn’t go well with the painting of him Raquel had in her mind.

“Well I’m just going to get a little bit of work done. Thought I might try make it a not entirely wasted weekend…”, he said trying to fill the void the awkward situation was creating.

Suarez finally looked at him, squinting his eyes. “How interesting. What a gripping life you do lead.”

Raquel suppressed a smile. He wasn’t wrong and he surely deserved it.

“Well, I’m going to go now.”, Suarez said turning to Raquel. He closed the distance between them and gave her a long kiss on the mouth, as if making a point.

Raquel had never been the one to encourage possessive behaviours, especially after her marriage. But just this once, she would let it go. Because it felt good to stick up to that man who acted as if he had a giant gherkin thrust up his backside. 

He pulled back and walked out the door, and just like that, he was gone, and Raquel and Sergio were alone. He seemed deep in thought and looked sickened by something. Raquel brushed it aside and stepped towards the stairs. For a moment, it seemed as if he was about to say something but decided against it.

She settled in her room and decided to read for a while. She didn’t have much else to do anyway. The hours passed surprisingly quickly, and she went to sleep quite early.

* * *

The next morning, she got prepared for the party. She put on a nice new dress she bought to show Suarez. The only thing missing was his presence. Now she had to go out and face the music. Alone. And it was Valentine’s day. _Brilliant._

 _Fuck._ Raquel thought, as she was sipping on what was her third glass of champagne. This ‘party’ was incredibly boring, as she had expected. It was an open air one, with dozens of old people talking to each other with not one young soul in sight. She could faintly recognize some old neighbors from Toledo. It was was a gathering organized by her mom’s friend, Thresa, who happened to live to the house opposite to her old one.

Having been greatly acquainted to her during her childhood, thanks to her mom, Raquel headed straight for her as soon she arrived. The conversation, or shall she say, her lifeboat, was over as quickly as it had started. Her mother’s friend had to go on and greet every single guest in the most formal manner as if she were the pope. And Raquel was left alone, again. But at least now she had a drink in her hand.

Raquel saw her mother arriving with yet another neighbor and started marching towards her. _Thank God,_ she said internally. To her great pleasance, her mom reciprocated her actions. As she neared her, Raquel pulled her in for a hug, never missing an occasion to make her feel loved. Raquel knew better than to reject displays of affections from loved ones.

“Hola mamá.”, she greeted happily.

“Hola cariño. How are you?”

“I’m fine, thanks”, she lied, grinning.

“Did you drive safely?”, her mother queried.

“Yes, Suarez drove me.”, Raquel explained.

“Ah, and where’s that boyfriend of yours then?”, said the man beside her mother who had stayed silent until now. Her mother must have told him, she figured.

“Uh, yes… he’s not feeling well. He had to leave.”

“Ahh, a likely tale. Off they run!”

Raquel laughed weakly. She wouldn’t have been in this embarrassing situation if Suarez was here. But he was excused, so Raquel put on this brave appearance.

“It’s too bad. I was actually looking forward meeting the man who’s making my daughter happy.”, said Mariví slightly pouting.

Raquel smiled sadly, “Yeah me too but, some other time maybe!”, she said hopeful.

“Of course,” said her mom smiling widely. “I have to go and look for Theresa, though. Have fun!”. And just like that she was gone, and Raquel was alone yet _again._

She felt her stomach grumbling, letting her know that now was the time to eat. So, Raquel started headed for the barbecue. The barbecue was a brilliant idea, considering the weather was so clement for a February day in Toledo. As she was approaching, she saw Theresa giving out some food. _Bingo._

Just as she was about to reach it, however, she saw Sergio Marquina lifting himself up, holding a plate, previously hidden by the barbecue.

_Fucking great._

She quickly turned around on the spot, definitely not in the mood for another encounter with Mr. Stupid Professor. Her hope of getting away were suddenly shattered by the sound of Theresa calling out her name. _Perfect._

“Ah Raquel, there you are!”, exclaimed Theresa. “Come. Have a little bit of food, will you?”

Raquel steadily approached them, crossing her arms.

“What a shame you couldn’t bring your boyfriend Bridget! Your mother just told me. What’s his name, Samuel? Sanchez?”

“Suarez,” interrupted Sergio out of the blue, looking straight at Raquel in an accusatory manner.

“Oh,” said Theresa, “Is he a friend of yours Sergio?”

“Absolutely not,” he said harshly, slightly huffing. He looked down at his plate.

Theresa looked up at Raquel with a conspiring smirk. “I hope his good enough for our little Raquel,” she said winking.

Before Raquel could manage so much as a smile, Sergio spoke up again.

“I think I can say with total confidence, _absolutely_ _not_.” He gazed up at her.

Raquel was not having it. _Not_ _again_.

“Well I’m sure he’d say the same about you, given your past behaviour,” Raquel countered proudly.

Sergio froze, “ _Sorry_?”

“I think you _know_ what I mean,” Raquel pressed.

He looked at her confusedly, his mouth slightly ajar.

“Sergio!”, a familiar voice called out. _Andrès._ Of course, he’d be here. Perfect timing.

“…And… Raquel?” he drew out in sheer surprise.

“Hola Andrès,” Raquel greeted politely. She genuinely liked Andrès, and it was pleasant surprise to find him here.

Andrès, approaching his younger brother could definitely sense the tension between the two. He opted to ease the atmosphere a little, starting by catching up with Raquel. Andrès noticed how his brother was looking down at the floor, clearly willing to be anywhere _else._ And so, Andrès indulged him by telling him Martin was somewhere and that he better goes find him. Sergio didn’t complain and eagerly left in search of the individual.

Once his brother had departed, Andrès face Raquel seriously. “Look, Raquel. Again I apologize, I-I know it’s not my place or anyth-“

“Andrès,” interrupted Raquel, “It’s fine he apologized,” she soothingly explained.

He looked positively bemused, “He did?”

“Yes. Didn’t he tell you?” she said, her brows furrowing. “To be honest I thought it was your idea.”

“No,” he disclosed, “I’m as surprised as you.”

“Surprised that your brother behaved as a decent human being for once?”, she asked sarcastically.

“No,” he laughed. “But I guess you’re right. My brother tends to forget his manners sometimes.”, Andrès confessed.

“Sometimes?”, she said cracking a smile.

“A lot,” he finally said and the both of them shared a laugh. For the first time at this party, Raquel was enjoying herself, even if it was by talking about a man she wasn’t fond of.

“Hey listen. I’m actually glad to see you here because I wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure, what is it?” she curiously asked.

“I wanted to invite you to my wedding.”

Raquel was shocked, “Seriously?”

“Well, yes. I mean I know we only reconnected fairly recently, but you and I go way back, when we were kids.”

“Yeah,” she smiled remembering the little time she spent with him. “You kept on teasing me all the time.”

“It wasn’t _only_ _you_ I was teasing, if I remember correctly,” he said smirking. “You had it easy in comparison.”

“Maybe,” she laughed and thought back about how much things had changed, “maybe…” she echoed.

“So, will you come? Pretty please?”, he looked like a small kid.

Who was she to refuse? “Gladly,” she grinned.

And she grinned in the taxi all the way back to Madrid.

* * *

The afternoon was nearing its end and Raquel decided, instead of directly returning to her cold and empty apartment, she would pay Suarez a visit to see how he was holding up. She was supposed to see him in the evening anyway for their special date, but she couldn’t help to go and see him as much as she could on this special date. She buzzed at his door and he let her in.

“Happy Valentine’s day, Raquel,” he greeted, kissing her.

She was happy to see him. He seemed better than yesterday.

They settled on the couch and she started telling him about her day.

“Yes well, I was able to get a lot of work done as you can see,” he said gesturing towards his desk. “And-“, he was interrupted by a loud thud coming from his bedroom.

Raquel went still. Surely not.

_Surely fucking not._

She had seen too many films to not find it overly suspicious. She didn’t want to get alarmed; she was supposed to trust him. But then again, she thought back of his reputation, of all the warnings she got. She thought back of all the red flashes she could have had witnessed this past few weeks. It didn’t make sense. It couldn’t.

Raquel’s mind was swirling.

“Are you okay?”, asked Suarez as if nothing had happened.

“Is there someone here?” she finally dared to ask.

He laughed slightly, “Not that I am aware of.”

It all sounded so _suspicious_. Without another word, she got up, headed for his bedroom and slammed the door open.

_Nothing._

God, she was so stupid. Why did she have to suspect him of anything? He was the sweetest boyfriend she had ever had. She was so ashamed.

She turned and looked at him apologetically, running an exhausted hand in her hair. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she weakly laughed.

“Listen, I-I’m feeling really sorry. I should have been there.”

“No, I’m sorry. I think this trip just wore me out and I’m starting to hallucinate,” she let out a small laughter. “I’ll go home and get ready for our date,” she smiled and gave him a peck on the lips.

He smiled back and walked her to the door. He lifted her luggage from the ground and opened the door for her. Raquel still felt so ashamed, he was so good to her. Too good.

_Almost too good to be true._

That’s when Raquel noticed a pink coat on the hanger that, without a doubt, didn’t belong to Suarez. 

She looked at him, shooting daggers. She dropped her bag loudly onto the floor. Marched right back in his bedroom and opened his private bathroom’s door.

There, sitting on the tub in a white towel was who she recognized as one of their colleagues from the design department.

She felt even more _stupid._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Raquel, she really doesn't have any luck does she? It's not like you guys didn't see it coming: Suarez is a FUCKWIT
> 
> I don't know when I'll be able to upload a new chapter again, but I'll definitely do my best. 
> 
> Until then, stay safe!


End file.
